The Disciplinary Council of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec strikes André Laforest from the roll for 2 months

Montreal, February 9, 2018 – The Disciplinary Council of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec rendered its decision on guilt and sanction in the case of André Laforest, who will be struck from the OIQ’s roll for 2 months. In its decision, the Disciplinary Council also ordered Mr. Laforest to pay all costs in connection with the processing of the complaint, as well as expert costs in the amount of $16,625.

Mr. Laforest was found guilty of the following charges, in connection with groundwater exploration activities carried out by Thetford Mines within the territory of the municipality of Irlande:
• initiating, allowing or tolerating work that was done in a wetland located in the area of Maple Grove, when an authorization had not been issued within the meaning of the Environment Quality Act, thereby contravening section 2.01 of the Code of Ethics of Engineers;
• helping to draft an application for a certificate of authorization within the meaning of the Environment Quality Act which did not explain that the pumping tests could cause or contribute to the partial drying out of the Larochelle River, thereby contravening section 3.02.04 of the Code of Ethics of Engineers;
• initiating, allowing or tolerating the installation of temporary dams, when the certificate of authorization issued within the meaning of the Environment Quality Act did not authorize this, thereby contravening section 2.01 of the Code of Ethics of Engineers;
• initiating, allowing or tolerating the pumping activities that caused or contributed to the partial drying out of Larochelle River, thereby contravening section 2.01 of the Code of Ethics of Engineers.

Mr. Laforest's alleged offences occurred in Thetford Mines, Cap-Rouge and Irlande between February 2003 and October 2004, while he was president and chief executive officer of his firm Laforest Expert-Conseils Inc.

As a reminder, the sanctions imposed by the Disciplinary Council are meant to protect the public by dissuading professionals from repeating offences and by setting an example for other members of the profession.

About the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec
Founded in 1920, the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec has a membership of some 63,000 engineering professionals in all fields, except forest engineering. The OIQ’s aim is to be a unifying organization and a reference for professionalism and excellence in engineering. Its mission is to protect the public by acting to ensure that engineers serve society with professionalism, compliance and integrity in the public interest. For more information, go to www.oiq.qc.ca.